Receptacle conveying and unloading apparatus



Feb. 8, 1944. B. D. TITUS ETAL 2,341,128-

RECEPTACLE CONVEYING AND UNLQADING APPARATUS Original Filed April 18,1942 2 Shee'ts-Sheet 1 VII/III]! B/rney 0. 777L615, U/are/v ce 6.5/0/06,

Feb. 8, 1944. B. D. TITUS ETAL 2,341,128

RECEPTACLE CONVEYING AND UNLOADING APPARATUS Original Filegi April 18,1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Ewucwfomd? B/rney Q 777z/5, 670/2900? C 5/0/06,

Il llIl Paiented Feb. 8, 1944 RECEPTACLE CONVEYING AND UNLOADINGAPPARATUS Birney n. Titus and Clarence 0. Elaine, El Dorado, Kana,assignors to Skelly Oil Company, Tulsa, Okla" a corporation of DelawareOriginal application April 18, 1942, Serial No.

439,588. Divided and this application February 12, 1943, Serial No.475,664

4 Claims.

This invention relates to receptacle conveying and unloading apparatusof the type disclosed in our application Serial No. 439,588, dated April18, 1942; of which the present application is a division.

In our parent application, we have disclosed and claimed a method of andapparatus for straightening metal barrels or the like, and although ourpresent invention was designed for use therewith-it will be evident thatit may be used for other purposes.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an apparatus forautomatically discharging a receptacle from a station.

Another object is to supply an apparatus for dumping the receptacle anddischarging the contents thereof after it has been transferred from saidstation.

With the foregoing objects outlined and with other objects in view whichwill appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in thenovel features hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of our apparatus, partly broken away tofacilitate illustration.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, with certain parts removed andillustrating the manner of discharging a barrel after straightening.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a detail of the apparatus and theupper end portion of a barrel.

It is believed that the invention will be best understood by describingit in connection with our method and apparatus for straightening metalbarrels or the like.

Referring to the drawings, 5 designates a platform employed in placingbarrels 6 made of metal or other malleable material in the machine. Thelatter comprises a foundation I supporting an abutment Ia and rigidposts 8 which are spaced apart and rigidly support a, cylinder 9.

A piston in is arranged to move upwardly and downwardly in the cylinderand carries a depend hollow piston rod Ii provided at its lower end witha disk or head member l2 having a downwardly extending rim I3 (Fig. 4)designed to make a seal with the chime ll of the barrel. The passagewaythrough the piston rod is normally closed at the lower end by a checkvalve 05 adapted to open upwardly. A conduit or passageway 86 connectsthe piston rod and head,

of the valve is connected to the top of the cylinder 9 by a pipe 22, andthe opposite lateral branch is connected to the bottom of the cylinderby a pipe 23. A waste pipe 24 is connected to the bottom branch of thevalve.

Assuming the piston l0 and head ii are in uppermost position and abarrel is properly.

placed on the abutment Ia, to be clamped by the head, if the controlmember of the valve 2| is moved to place the pipe 20 in communicationwith the pipe 22, liquid under pressure will flow into the top of thecylinder and force the piston and disk i3 downwardly until the latter ishalted by the barrel. Then, as the liquid continues its flow into thecylinder, sufficient pressure will be built up to open the valve I9 toallow the liquid to flow through the conduit l6 and hole l8 into thebarrel, and such flow will continue until the barrel is filled orsubstantially filled. Meantime, the air within the barrel will bedisplaced into the cavity 25 of the head and will be put under pressure.The barrel is now ready to be straightened. This is accomplished by theoperator who delivers a series of sharp blows with a hammer at thedented area of the barrel. With each blow of the hammer, the liquidinside the barrel returns the blow with equal force on the reverse sideof the metal, thus forcing the dent or dents out and restoring thebarrel to its original shape. The operator now manipulates the valve 2|to close off the supply of liquid to the top of the cylinder 9, whichpermits the compressed air on top of the barrel head to expand, openingcheck valve l5, thus releasing all pressure both in the barrel and inthe cylinder, through the medium of the hollow piston rod.

At this point it may be noted that the air, originally in the barrel atatmospheric pressure when the barrel was placed in the machine, cannotescape except to the chamber 25, and such air will therefore becompressed as the water rises in the barrel until it finally attains apressure equal to the hydraulic pressure exerted by the machine.

After the pressure has been released, the operatom moves the controlvalve 2| to a position to place the pipe 20 in communication with thepipe 23, so that water is admitted to the cylinder below the piston toforce it upwardly, discharging as it moves upward, the water on top ofthe piston through the pipes 22 and 24.

As the piston rises, lugs or lifting elements 26 which are rigidlyconnected to diametrically opposite sides of the head I2, will also risefrom the lower ends of slots or guideways 21a in arms 28, and engageshoulders 27 forming parts of the slots. As the lower end of each ofthese arms is hingedly connected at 28a to one side of a roller conveyorsection 29, the latter will swing upwardly about a horizontal pivot 30arranged on a suitable support 3|. Due to this construction, as the headrises, it will first move away from the top of the barrel, and then liftone end of the conveyor so that the barrel (Fig. 3) will traveldownwardly toward the pivotal point 30 by gravity. When the head l2rises to a predetermined height, cam surfaces 32 at the upper ends ofthe arms will be brought into engagement with rollers 33 mounted onstationary horizontal axes on the posts 8. This will cause the arms tobe swung in a clock-wise direction (Fig. 1) to release the shoulders 21from the lugs 26, so that the pivoted conveyor section will return toits normal horizontal position. Of course, when the barrel has travelledpart way down the conveyor due to gravity, it can move the remainder ofthe way due to momentum, although the conveyor has returned tohorizontal position. Momentum will also cause the barrel to come to reston an angular dump rack 34 (Fig. 1), swung about a horizontal axis 35 bymeans of a hydraulic ram 36 which functions to force the barrel on to adraining rack 31 where the water discharges before the barrel is removedalong tracks 38.

When the head I2 is again lowered to engage the top of another barrel,the lugs 26 will travel downwardly in the slots 21a from the upper tothe lower ends of the latter.

It is to be understood that the embodiment of the invention hereindisclosed is to be taken as an example only, and that our improvementsmay be embodied in any suitable combination and arrangement of partsfalling within the terms of the appended claims.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a conveyor adapted to be swung upwardly anddownwardly about a horizontal pivot, a member movable toward and awayfrom the free end portion of said conveyor,

upwardly extending arms connected to the free end portion of theconveyor and operatively connected to said member to be lifted thereby,and lost motion means cooperating with said arms and member forreleasing the arms when said member rises to a predetermined height toallow the free end of the conveyor to descend.-

2. In combination, a conveyor adapted to be swung upwardly anddownwardly about a horizontal pivot, a member movable toward andawayfrom the free end portion of said conveyor and provided with liftingelements, upwardly extending arms movably connected to the free endportion of the conveyor and provided with irregular guides with whichthe lifting elements cooperate, each arm having a shoulder about midwaythe heighth of each guide, serving as an abutment by which the liftingelements can lif'i the arms and the free end of said conveyor, ant.means for releasing the shoulders from the lifting elements when saidmember rises to a predetermined heighth to permit the free end of theconveyor to descend.

3. In combination, .a conveyor having rollers and adapted to be swungupwardly and downwardly about a horizontal pivot, a member arrangedabove and movable toward and away from the free end of said conveyor andprovided with lifting elements, upwardly extending arms movablyconnected to the free end portion of said conveyor and provided withirregular guideways in which the lifting elements operate, each armforming a shoulder about midway the height of each guideway, saidshoulders serving as abutments by which the lifting elements can liftthe arms and the free end of the conveyor, and means for releasing theshoulders from the lifting elements when the head rises to apredetermined height to permit the free end of the conveyor to descend.

4. In combination, a conveyor adapted to be swung upwardly anddownwardly' about a horizontal pivot, a head movable toward and awayfrom said conveyor and provided with lugs, upwardly extending armsmovably connected to the free end portion of said conveyor and providedwith irregular slots in which the lugs operate, each arm forming ashoulder about midway the height of each slot, serving as an abutment bywhich the lugs can lift the arms and the free end of said conveyor, andmeans for releasing the shoulders from the lugs when the head rises to apredetermined height to permit the free end of the conveyor to descend.

BIRNEY D. TITUS. CLARENCE C. BLAINE.

